Appendix A: The Webbing Exercise

The following process, The Webbing Exercise, was developed by Ken Wyman and Associates, Inc. Its purpose is to reveal the hidden network of contacts and connections in an organization: “the people you know that you didn't know you knew.”

Board members, volunteers, staff and administration, each have their own lives away from your organization and they all know lots of people — more people, in fact, than they ever thought they knew.

By holding a Webbing Exercise, you can discover who they know. This session gives everyone a chance to delve into themselves for the names of people they've come in contact with over the years.

They may start off thinking they know no-one, but names will occur to them during the course of the exercise that will seem `obvious' in hindsight. People they knew long ago or in circumstances completely unrelated to your organization may now be in a position to help, whether as donors or as future volunteers or board members.

Preparing for The Webbing Exercise

Who should be invited to a Webbing Exercise?

Select a group of people who care about your organization. You might include present and past board members, volunteers, staff, participants and people from other nonprofits who are sympathetic.

Ten to fifteen people is ideal. Fewer, and you may lose the `critical mass' to generate excitement; more, and it can become too big to handle.

How should they be asked?

When deciding whom to invite to a Webbing Exercise, think about who in your organization should ask that person to participate. People always respond best to being asked to help when they are asked by the `right' person.

Contact prospective participants in person or by phone.

Invite them to get together (formally or informally) for two to three hours on an evening or a weekend. Tell them you want them to take part in a fun exercise to help them recall people who might be able to play a role with your organization. Offer a `reward' of light refreshments (or a sit- down dinner, if appropriate).

How should they prepare?

Ask participants to look for possible prospects in advance. This is more than just thinking about names. Encourage them to go through their personal address books, their database or the rotating card file from their office. They might check old school yearbooks, membership lists in the congregation where they worship, club membership rosters, and so on.

It would be helpful if they could bring these items with them to the Webbing Exercise. As new ideas are generated, they may want to refer to these sources. Their notes listing names will do, however.

Where should a Webbing Exercise be held?

The venue should be familiar and appropriate to your organization and the people you're inviting to take part. In most cases, it could be done on-site in your group's meeting room (if you have one). You may want to go to another location:

• if you don't have a big enough space; or
• for the convenience (and status) of your invited guests.

You may be able to get some space free or at low cost from a community centre, house of worship, service club, corporation with a boardroom, union hall, restaurant or hotel.

What is the right set-up for the room?

Sitting at tables is better than a relaxed living room arrangement or rows of chairs. It makes it easier to take notes and interact, while setting a business-like style. If convenient, start with a U- shaped grouping of tables and chairs.

Ideally, you want to be able to break your group into `working pairs' during the course of the Webbing Exercise. Once you change to working in pairs, people can simply turn their chairs so that they are facing each other.

Predetermine who would pair up well, and arrange seating for them. Match people for their ability to spark ideas in each other, or their similar social or business worlds.

Who should lead a Webbing Exercise?

It's better to have two people as leaders than one. This leaves each free to concentrate on a distinctive role.

The facilitator actively leads the session, explaining how the exercise is done, and keeping the participants involved. This person may need to suggest examples, solve problems, and add energy. You may need to hire a consultant experienced with networking to perform this important task.

The recorder tracks all the information that is generated. In a large or energetic group, two or more recorders may be needed to keep up.

The recorders write down the name of every potential donor suggested, and the person who made the suggestion. Note any other information, too, such as a corporate connection, or a useful piece of personal information mentioned in passing. (Examples include, “His mother had a successful kidney transplant”, “Her daughter went to our day care”, “He always considered himself an actor when he was in school.”)

Later, the recorder will type this neatly, check spellings, and distribute copies to all participants.

Use flipcharts to capture the information during the Webbing Exercise, so everyone in the room can see the names and refer to the notes. Chalkboards or whiteboards are not as good because they can get too full, and then key information may be erased. It's also harder to use them when typing notes.

What supplies are needed?

Provide participants with:

• A pen or pencil (perhaps donated, with the supplier's logo on it)
• Work sheets for recording suggested names and linkages
• A personal Webbing form to be filled out before leaving (see samples at the end of this section)
• A surface to write on (table, desk, clipboard, notepad)
• Refreshments (during a break in the proceedings)
• Memory joggers:
  • donor or membership lists from your group
  • phone books (white and Yellow Pages, perhaps including some from other communities)
  • Who's Who, The Directory of Directors and other listings of prominent people
  • concert programs, annual reports and other documents from nonprofits which list their donors (it is preferable to get them from organizations like yours, but this is not essential)
  • a random list of well known people from all circles.

Provide the facilitator with flipcharts and marking pens. You should also make up small signs or flyers identifying areas where names of people can be found, such as Friends, Neighbours, Place of Worship, Service Clubs, Professions, Associates, Businesses, etc. (see the list at the end of this section).

Provide the recorder with the materials to record suggested names and the names of the persons who suggested them in an orderly manner. This is usually done on flipcharts, in group sessions.

How to Spin the Web

The facilitator should introduce her/himself and the recorder, as well as any other participants who should be known to the group. If the facilitator is from outside the organization, he or she should be introduced by someone appropriate.

With a small number of people, have everybody introduce themselves to the whole group. With a larger group, have them introduce themselves to the person on both their right and their left. Have them identify their connection to your organization and their `other' life, ie, job, clubs. If everybody already knows each other, have them reveal a new fact about their personal connections, such as where they grew up, went to school, or previously worked. Keep introductions short, but remember that they are important to the interaction.

The facilitator then explains the purpose of the evening and the format.

Using Preliminary Exercises to Build the Group's Openness

If the group is not ready for comfortable communication, the facilitator can lead an opening warm-up exercise. This is optional.

Be careful that warm-up exercises don't take too long or distract people from the main activity.

Ice-breaking exercises include:

Celebration: Ask people to complete this phrase: “One of the wonderful things about our group which might make someone want to donate is…”

Ask the participants to speak their thoughts out loud. This will stimulate others and loosen up everyone for the next stage of the process.

Be sure to record the best comments and most interesting thoughts for possible use in a future document, such as a Case for Support.

Connections: Ask people to identify themselves based on common connections. For example, you might group them based on length of involvement in the organization (perhaps arrayed as less than a year, 1 to 3 years, 3 to 5 years, 5 to 10 years, longer than 10 years), or on people's outside interests (particular sports, types of art or music, hobbies). Keep it relevant to your organization. Don't risk sensitive subjects, at least not at first.

Ask people to physically move into groups, in different parts of the room. When people are in their groups, they should introduce themselves to others and share relevant information.

Stimulating Ideas by Suggesting Possible Connections

Once everyone is ready to proceed, the facilitator should ask the group to come up with the names of people they know who might be able to contribute to the organization, as either a donor or a volunteer (preferably both).

Use a list of categories (such as the ones at the end of this section) to spark ideas. You may wish to add new categories or remove some to make this fit your unique situation.

Remind everyone to name people with whom they have direct connections, not just names that participants have heard in the news. It may also be necessary to remind people to focus on individuals who could give — not corporations, foundations or other institutions.

Ask people to note their connections out loud, to spark ideas in others.

Remind everyone to write down any names that occur. Don't trust anyone's memory.

Call out the first category, and ask if that suggests any possible donors. Move on to the next. If most people have thought of one or two names after the first category, move directly to the working pairs. If people need more help, the facilitator should take the group through more categories.

The list of categories at the end of this section is designed to spark connections in the minds of the people doing the Webbing Exercise.

You may find it helpful to print each category separately on its own sheet of paper or cardboard. This will help keep people's attention focused on that category. Print in letters large enough to be read easily across the room.

Working in Pairs

Ask people to arrange their seating into working pairs. Give the duos approximately half an hour to work together drawing out each other's connections/ contacts.

Each person records the other person's suggested names on the working forms provided. Encourage them to stimulate their memories with the categories listed at the end of this section.

Ask them to share the 30 minutes equally if possible. Call for roles to switch at 15 minutes.

The facilitator should move around the room helping those duos who are not doing as well as the others.

At the conclusion of the half-hour, have a break before resuming the group session.

Group Webbing

After the break, ask participants to share the names the working pairs have identified. The recorder(s) track both the suggested names and the name of the suggester (for future follow-up) on the flipcharts so it's easy to preserve the notes.

In addition, track the nature and extent of the actual link. Is the prospect one of the volunteer's closest friends, or have they barely met? If more than one person suggests the same name, note both suggesters. Ask which one knows the prospect better. Should they go together?

Encourage people to interrupt by calling out any additional names they may recall as the process continues. Tell them not to wait politely, or it might be forgotten. Make sure, however, that a few people don't dominate, shutting out valuable contributions from quieter people.

If not enough quality names are coming forward, offer additional memory aids, such as phone books or a random list of prominent individuals. These may spark ideas. For example, scanning the listings for accountants, doctors or dentists (and so on) may reveal potential donors. Lateral thinking may draw connections from seemingly unrelated ideas.

The Hook-and-Ladder Squad

If the group has few direct connections with prospective major donors, they may be able to build them indirectly.

This is called the Hook-and-Ladder Squad because it looks first for a hook — why might someone be interested? — and then builds a ladder up to them. The connections may be remote at first, but often one person knows another who knows a third.

Ask who has the best reputation for generosity in your community? Who is known to give to other causes? Do you know anyone who knows them?

Ask if anyone knows a self-employed accountant who might be supportive of your work. Research shows self-employed accountants to be the most generous single professional group. They “give a higher percentage (of their income) than any of medical doctors, dentists or lawyers although the average income of accountants is lower than that in any of the three other professions mentioned.”

Ask if anyone knows a farmer. “Farmers, with an average income just under the national average of all taxpayers, averaged 1.83% (of their income given to charities) compared with a national average of 0.66%,” according to the same report. By comparison, “employees of business, who had an average income of $25,167, very close to the national average, gave an average of only 0.44% compared with the national average donation percentage of 0.66%.”

Ask if anyone knows someone in the insurance business. Every person in the room should raise a hand. If not, ask how many have insurance. Ask if any feel their insurance agents could give, volunteer, or lead to other prospects.

Ask if anyone knows a banker. Again, every one should put up a hand. If not ask “How many of you have bank accounts, mortgages or loans? Now, how many know a banker?” Could their bankers be helpful?

Ask if anyone knows someone in the auto industry or the gasoline and oil industry. How many own cars and buy gas? Do they know the name of the person who owns the service station they use most often? Could they strike up a conversation next time they fill up? Who sold them their cars? Do they know anyone who is a bit more influential in this industry because they own a fleet (even a small one) of cars, taxis, or trucks? HINT: In small communities, consider the city works department as a lead.

Do they know anyone in the restaurant and hospitality industry? If not, could they get to know the person who owns or manages some of the nearby fast-food franchises, taverns or hotels?

Could their doctor, dentist, pharmacist, lawyer or accountant help them meet others?

Where do they work now? Where did they work previously? Could they help make a connection to people in the company, its customers, suppliers, owners, employees, union members and so on?

Who are the richest people in town? They may not be millionaires — just richer than others. Do you know anyone who knows them? Caution: just because someone is rich does not mean they give to charity. Still, if you have contacts with wealthy people, you should note them.

Be careful that this Hook-and-Ladder Squad exercise doesn't sidetrack the discussion. Remember to stay focused on major individual prospects. It's easy to start slipping into talk of businesses, foundations and other institutional donors. While that information may be valuable, the grant applications and other techniques required to succeed with them are different, and are a subject for another book.

Identifying Each Person's Five Best Prospects

Before the time runs out, ask if they can each identify at least five people they personally feel best about approaching. Then ask the group as a whole to identify the five overall top-priority people for follow-up.

Remind them not to make contacts yet. Further research is required, as well as a training session on how to ask.

Wrapping Up

Collect everyone's Webbing Exercise forms.

Promise to circulate a copy of the notes from the session to everyone for corrections and amendments.

Ask for an evaluation of the session. Then thank everyone, and remind them how valuable this list will be.

Follow-Up

As soon as possible, type up the notes for the evening. Capture as much information as possible, including the connections between the suggesters and the people suggested.

This list will be used in the prospect research phase, which comes up soon. Record all names, both suggested names and suggester names. Record them with the surnames first, so that a computer can sort them alphabetically. Track the links to your contacts as well as the names stimulated by your Webbing.

Send everyone a note of thanks for participating and encourage them to continue to feed in names that come to mind after the actual session.

Consider the results of the Webbing Exercise to be an important resource, and make sure it is used.

The next step is to compile the list of the prospects' names. If you have enough for now, you can skip the next step.

Forms for The Webbing Exercise

The following pages provide several forms that you may find useful in running your own Webbing Exercise.

Ask people to fill them out in the group. Don't mail them out and ask people to fill them in and send them back. Without the group stimulus, people at home may have trouble coming up with the connections. They also may not get around to it.

For the same reasons, don't have people take them home and mail them back to you later. They may never do it, despite good intentions.

Categories of Potential Donors (to Spark Ideas)

Participants may have met prospective donors through…

Boldface indicates caategories of people whom research shows to be particularly generous.

copyright 1993 by Ken Wyman & Associates Inc.

Key Questions Reveal Connections

To jog your memory, here are some categories of people you know who might be potential donors. This isn't a complete list — just a memory aid.

Fill in names in as many of these categories as possible. Look for one or more names in each group. Write the names down — don't trust your memory! Say them out loud — you might spark an idea for someone else!

C O N F I D E N T I A L

Your Name:

I/my spouse/kids/parents/siblings/in-laws/friends know someone who might donate generously who…

Type of ContactName(s)

copyright 1993 by Ken Wyman & Associates Inc.

C O N F I D E N T I A L

Use this form to jog your mind about potential contacts. This helps us find out where there are connections.

Please share information about yourself, also. As opportunities emerge, this will make it possible to match you with prospects based on interests, work, clubs, school, and even religion and politics.

Because some of this information is personal, we pledge to abide by the following rules of confidentiality and privacy.

1. No one you name will be contacted without your knowledge and permission.
2. No names or information will be shared outside this group, either with other nonprofit groups or with businesses.
3. No lists of prospects will be distributed inside this group, beyond those who need to know. This will only include selected members of the Fundraising Task Force, the relevant staff person, and the consultant (if appropriate).
4. No information about you will be shared with anyone who does not need to know. This will include only selected members of the Fundraising Task Force and the relevant staff person.

If you still do not wish to include certain information, please skip that question, but complete the rest of the form. If you wish to share information, but only under additional conditions, please let us know.

Thank you for your cooperation!

Your name:

Experience

Have you ever helped any nonprofit group get a gift of over $500? ___Yes ___No If yes, please describe:

Contacts

Please list five or more people, companies or organizations you think can afford to make a large gift to your organization. These could be new ideas, or names from the master prospect list.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Community Groups and Clubs

To what community groups, service clubs or social clubs do you belong?

___This is confidential information which I am not prepared to reveal now.

___I don't belong to any.

___I belong to:

School

What schools/universities did you attend? What years? Are you active in their alumni associations?

Work

Where do you work now? Where have you worked in the past, and in what years?

Business Connections

Are you, your spouse, family or friends connected to any corporations or other organizations, particularly those that support nonprofit groups? Which ones? How are you connected?

___No connections.

___This is confidential information which I am not prepared to reveal now.

___I have the following connections:

Religion

Are you religious? Do you belong to a particular congregation? Which one? (This may be useful if we need to match prospects with people of the same religion, denomination or place of worship.)

___This is confidential information which I am not prepared to reveal now.

___Not religious.

___My religion is:

___I worship at:

___Other religious connections (spouse, family, etc.):

Politics

Are you active in politics? (This may be useful if we need to match prospects with people of the same politics.)

___This is confidential information which I am not prepared to reveal now.

___Not politically active.

___My political involvement(s):

Which levels?

Additional Comments:

Thank you for this information. It will be kept confidential.

copyright Ken Wyman 1993